Tsamarella facts for kids
Tsamarella is a very old and special food from the island of Cyprus. It's a type of cured meat that people often eat for lunch. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the island enjoy this tasty dish. Think of it like a traditional snack or part of a meal!
How is Tsamarella Made?
Making Tsamarella is a careful process that has been passed down through generations. It usually starts with goat meat. The whole animal is used, but first, all the bones are removed.
Here are the main steps:
- Salting and Curing: The meat is covered in salt. This helps to preserve it and gives it a unique flavor.
- Sun Drying (First Round): After salting, the meat is hung out in the sun for a few days. The sun and air help to dry it out.
- Boiling and Flavoring: Next, the meat is placed in hot, boiling water. While it's cooking, people add special spices, often oregano, to give it a wonderful smell and taste.
- Sun Drying (Second Round): After being boiled and spiced, the meat goes back into the sun for one more day to finish drying.
When it's ready, Tsamarella is soft and has a salty taste. People often serve it as a meze, which means a small dish to share, often with drinks like wine or zivania.
A Look Back in Time
Tsamarella, like many other dried meats from Cyprus (such as lountza and loukaniko), comes from specific farming areas. These include the Marathasa Valley, Pitsilia, and the Pafos region.
In the past, before people had refrigerators, Tsamarella was a very important food. It was a way to keep meat from spoiling. People would store it in special wooden boxes or lockers. This helped families have food to eat for a long time, especially during the colder months or when fresh meat was hard to find. It shows how clever people were at preserving food centuries ago!
